Montgomery Township police: Beware of MoneyPak phone scams

MONTGOMERY TWP — Telephone scams involving Green Dot MoneyPak cards that occurred with some regularity in Lansdale and Towamencin Township last year have bilked Montgomery Township residents out thousands of dollars in recent months, police said Tuesday in an effort to warn people about this particular method of extortion.

Montgomery Township Lt. Gerry Dougherty said that scammers have stolen more than $15,000 from residents by scaring, persuading or otherwise conning them into purchasing MoneyPak cards — which are available at many grocery stores, pharmacies and big-box retailers and can be loaded with amounts between $20 and $500 and then used to reload pre-paid cards, make payments to major companies and more — and providing the phone thieves with the serial numbers on the cards.

According to Dougherty, there are at least a couple of different ways in which the scam is perpetrated.

“A scammer calls a victim claiming to be a representative of a government agency, such as the IRS, or a representative of a utility company,” he said. “The scammer demands payment for back taxes owed or a past-due utility bill. If payment is not received, they threaten that the victim will either be arrested or have their utilities turned off. To avoid this, scammers instruct the victim to purchase Green Dot MoneyPak Cards in a specific amount, usually several thousand dollars.

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“The victim is also provided a phone number to call after purchasing the Green Dot MoneyPak Cards,” Dougherty continued. “When the victim calls the phone number, they are told to scratch off and read the Green Dot MoneyPak Card serial numbers to the scammer. Once the scammer has the Green Dot MoneyPak Card serial numbers, they are able to transfer the funds from that card onto a prepaid debit card. The victim has now lost their money.”

In another scenario, Dougherty explained, “The victim receives a phone call from a scammer saying that a member of the victim’s family has been arrested and needs bail money, or has been in an accident and needs money for medical treatment. The scammers are very creative and can use any number of ways to try and convince you to purchase the Green Dot MoneyPak Cards and reveal the serial numbers to them.”

Dougherty said residents can help thwart these scammers by being suspicious of anyone who calls demanding immediate payment for any reason; by not giving out personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited; and by never wiring money, providing debit or credit card numbers or Green Dot MoneyPak Card serial numbers to those whom you do not know or trust.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, he noted, residents should be aware that utility companies and government agencies will never contact them and demand immediate payment via Green Dot MoneyPak Cards.

Nonetheless, Dougherty said, anyone who does believe they have fallen victim to one of these scams should not hesitate to contact police.